Darkness is All I Can See
by Lain Mikado
Summary: A dark past trapped inside of a young girl who has recently been teamed up with Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. Now begining her path to become a Shiobi she stumbles upon her greatest enemy and fear... REWRITE
1. Koei

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is my own character Koei X, and the original plot that has been inserted in.

Naruto

Number 1: Koei

Saga: Darkness is All I See

Koei (1) sighed from the corner of the room she was sitting in. Everything was still the same, no one talked to her, and she was completely ignored, shut off from the world around her.

But it didn't matter to her, she was used to it. The conversations everyone seemed to be having with each other… Were just useless to her, all the girls seemed to talk about was that one guy named _Sasuke_, and all the guys seemed to talk about was how they were going to beat each other up to impress the girls. It was all just irritating to her. Maybe that was why she had no friends.

Everyone would describe her as the anti-social one of the class, the outsider that only spoke when spoken to.

She shifted her glance away from the room full of Shinobi's in training, and out the window that was beside her. It wasn't long before she had to get her mind out of the scenery outside and on Master Iruka who had just walked in the room.

Iruka cleared his throat and looked around the classroom, no one seemed to have noticed he had walked in. He cleared his throat once more, the silence started but the boy Naruto and Sasuke were still arguing.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled angrily. "Will _you_ please keep it down? I am trying to run a class!"

"Sorry, sir," Naruto growled through clenched teeth as he stopped himself from shooting a nasty commit in Sasuke's direction. That boy sure was asking for it. Messing with the girl of his dreams… Sakura. He looked longiningly in her direction, which happed to be to his right side.

"Eww…" Sakura whined, noticing the look on Naruto's face. "Don't look at me like that you idiot!" She then whacked him on the head and was about to do it again but stopped when Iruka yelled at her. "Sorry, sir…"

"Now that we are all done… Arguing with each other," He threw a nasty look in the direction of Naruto and Sakura, who looked down at their hands sheepishly. "I would just like to announce that from this day forward, you are no longer mere students of Ninjutsu, but full-fledged Shinobi. But among the ranks of the Shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. You're greatest challenges lie ahead."

"Lovely speech," Naruto muttered to himself. "This is going to take forever…" He leaned his head on his hands and then looked at the teacher through lidded eyes.

"The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village," he paused and then frowned at the half asleep Naruto. "You will now be divided into four man cells. Each of which will be mentored by a Jônin, a more senior Ninja. I have made the selections so that each cells abilities would be almost equal…"

__

Sounds interesting…Koei thought to herself. _I wonder… Who in this class can match up to my abilities?_

"The seventh cell…" Iruks paused. He was now announcing the last four-man cell of the day. "Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and… X Koei…"

The three looked at Iruka questionably when he said the name 'X, Koei'. Who was this person he was talking about? They'd never met him or her before in their lives, let alone ever heard the name mentioned.

"Who the hell is Koei?" Naruto asked aloud, looking around the room to hopefully to try and at least catch a glimpse of this person.

"Don't be rude Naruto!" Iruka shot at him. "She's right back there, in the corner."

"I…" Naruto looked at the girl with shoulder length black hair. Her Hitai-ate was over her forehead; her hair was sticking up over it. She was wearing a knee length coat that was black and was cut in the front like a triangle. On the back it had an emblem of a blue dragon, along with a black hood, and underneath the jacket was a plain black shirt. Her pants were also black and she had white tape wrapped around her legs that stopped a few inches below her knees. Wrapped around the middle of her leg above her knee was more whit tape, holding up her Shuriken holster. Her sandals were blue like everyone else's; her eyes were a melancholy blue.

"I'm Koei X," Koei said standing up so the room could get a good look at her. It looked as though this were the first time that anyone had ever laid eyes on her.

"Now that you all know who she is.." Iruka said shaking his head at everyone. "You are all dismissed till this afternoon. That is when your instructors will arrive."

"Great…" Koei muttered.

The clouds just seemed to roll by above Koei slowly. Everyone seemed to be moving so slowly today. She sighed as she leaned back against the tree that was behind her. AT least she had found something to make her time pass by quicker than it was in the room with Iruka.

"Today… Just seems so… slow?" Koei finally asked aloud, though she knew no one was around to answer her.

"Does it really?" a male voice asked as she jumped from the sudden sound of his voice. "I didn't scare you did I? Though Ninja's were supposed to be on guard at all times?"

"Sasuke right?" Koei asked rolling her eyes. "And I presume you have come here to interrogate me or something?"

"What would I do that for?" Sasuke asked looking at her amused.

"I don't know… You just seem like the type of person who wants to know everything about what he is going to be doing or working with," Koei replied shrugging. "At least that is the impression I get from you."

You could be right," Sasuke replied as a small smile appeared across his face but replaced with a blank look after a second, as if he were trying to cover up the fact that he could smile.

"So… What about the other two? What are they like?" Koei asked trying to start up a conversation, she wasn't too found of this blank stare he was giving her.

"Where did you come from all of a sudden?" Sasuke asked ignoring her questions. "I mean how did you just appear under my nose like that? I've never seen you in class before."

"No one pays attention to me really," Koei replied, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not like anyone would, considering I have no friends and everything…"

"How can… How can you have no friends?"

"I'm kind of anti-social." She laughed after she said that, and then frowned.

"Anti-social? You're talking just fine to me at the moment."

"I don't know then… I don't really talk unless I am spoken to. It's just the way I was raised… When I was younger and everything… I… I think I'm going to go now. I need to get something done…"

Koei got up from where she was sitting and then begun to walk away from Sasuke.

"Why are you running away?"

Koei stopped walking and stood still.

"Why are you running away?" he repeated. "I know you're hiding something. I can tell by the look in your eyes. If you don't want to talk about it you don't have too, but running away isn't going to solve any of your problems. All it shows is just how weak of a character you have."

"You don't know what you're talking about! You don't even know me! How can you say that I have a weak character?" She spun around, facing him with an angry glare.

"You get mad too easily. I am just stating the obvious. If I don't tell you then someone else will someday. Its better to find out now than later on down the road, at least now you can try and fix the problem."

"I don't have a problem."

Sasuke just sighed. This was going to be touch, how would she ever get stronger if she didn't admit she had flaws? Even he had some flaws of his own, but then again why did he really care if she screwed up later on down the road and got killed?

He shock his head to clear himself of the thoughts that were running through it and sighed once more. "It doesn't matter… If you can't see your flaws then there is no reason for me to save you from a mistake you are going to make in the future."

Koei just looked at Sasuke as he turned around and begun to walk away.

__

What if he was right? What if I do have flaws that I just can't find? But I would have found them already! Right…? Maybe, I do have flaws, flaws that I can't even find…

"Cut it out Naruto!" Sakura yelled at him as he stuck his head out the door for the fifth time in that second.

"Why is it that we are the only cell who doesn't have their teacher yet?" Naruto asked as he pulled his head out of the hallway and closed the door. "Everyone else has already gone off with this or her teachers, even Master Iruka…"

"Maybe he's just running late?" Koei asked, shrugging her shoulders. This was the first time she had talked to any of them since she had entered the room. She was already sick of Sakura and Naruto arguing with each other so often.

"But why would he be running late? I thought teachers were supposed to arrive right on time to give out a good impression, Mater Iruka was always on time..." Sakura said trailing off as she went into thought.

"What are you doing?" Koei noticed Naruto standing on top of a chair while he stuck an eraser between the two sliding doors.

"Nothing," Naruto replied with a big grin on his face as he jumped down from the chair.

"You don't actually think a superior Shinobi would be caught in such a simple bobby trap like that do you?" Sasuke asked as he leaned on his fists. "It's to simple…"

"Ah…" Koei begun as she noticed the sliding door was opening in front of her. The teacher stepped in and the eraser fell right on his head, then fell to his feet.

"I got you good!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed the nearest desk to stop himself from falling over from laughing.

Koei looked at the teacher, then shifted her attention to Sakura who was apologizing to the teacher and telling him she played no part in what had just happened. She sure was putting on a good act.

"How shall I put this? Based on my first impression… I hate you!" he screamed out at the four of them.

"What did I do…?" Koei asked staring back at him, insulted.

"Now, I'd like you to tell us a little about yourselves," the teacher said as he watched all four of his students to sit down on the cement bellow them.

"Like what?" Sakura asked looking at him.

"You know. The usual. Your favorite thing, what you hate most. Dreams, ambitions, hobbies. Things like that," he replied shrugging his shoulders.

"Help us out here… You go first," Naruto replied.

"That's right. To us you are a complete stranger, a complete mystery," Sakura added in.

"Oh… Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't like talking about his likes and dislikes! My dreams for the future are none of your business… But I have lots of hobbies…" Kakashi said looking down at the four kids that sat in front of him.

"He sure said a lot…" Koei said looking at him, dumbfounded.

"Now it's your turn, starting with you on the right…" Kakashi said, looking at Naruto.

"Me, right! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is when Master Iruka treats me to ramen at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar! What I hate is the three-minute wait after I pour in the boiling water. My dream is to one day be a better Shinobi then Lord Hokage!" Naruto stated proudly. "And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence a last!"

__

Well… Hasn't this turned out interesting? He stared at Naruto and then turned his attention over to Sasuke. "Next!"

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see that it matters, considering there is almost nothing I do like. It seems pointless to talk about 'dreams'… That's just a word… But what I do have is determination. I play to restore my clan. And there is someone I have sword…" Sasuke paused to let everything sink in. "To kill…"

Kakashi just blinked at Sasuke while everyone besides Koei looked at him blankly. "And now on to one of the young ladies…"

"I am Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing is… Well it's not a thing, it's a person. A boy… And that boy is… Uh… Let's move on to my dream," Sakura begun and then blushed and stopped just as she was going to begin to say her dream. "I hate… Naruto! My hobbies are-"

"Enough," Kakashi said shaking his head. "Last is you!"

"My name is X Koei," Koei begun, she saw Kakashi's eyes get a little big as she mentioned her name. "I don't really have a favorite thing unless you would include it as a weapon… I don't want to talk about my dream and what I hate, considering it's nothing of your concerns. But I do have one hobby, and that would include training, I must become stranger."

"So that would mean your father was…" Kakashi begun but stopped himself from saying the name.

"Yes," Koei replied starring up at him with a frown on her face. "I would prefer if you didn't talk about him."

"Fine. I believe we all understand one another. Formal training begins tomorrow." Kakashi said.

"Yes! And what will our duties be?" Naruto asked, excited at the prospect of starting.

"Our first project involves only the members of this cell…"

"What is it?" Koei said look at him.

"Survival exercises…"

"What? Why? Our school days were full of survival training!" Sakura yelled looking at him.

"But you will have to survive against me. It won't be your typical practice…" Kakashi explained with the rest of them just gave him blank looks.

"Well then, what kind of practice will it be?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi begun to laugh.

"What are you laughing about…" Koei asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… If I told you, you'd chicken out," Kakashi replied as he tried to stifle down his laughter.

"Chicken out! Why would we do that?" Naruto shot back at him.

"Of the twenty seven members of your graduations class, only nine will be accepted as junior level Shinobi. The other eighteen must go back for more training. The test we are about to take has a sixty-six percent rate of failure," Kakashi said leaning back against the rails.

"Yeah right…" Koei said under her breath, as she looked at the other three. They all seemed to be concentrating on Master Kakashi's face, as if they believed he was telling them all a bad lie.

"See! You're chickening out already!" Kakashi said almost breaking into another fit of laughter.

"What about or graduation test then?" Naruto screamed at him.

"Oh! We wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show true potential," Kakashi explained.

"What!" Sakura yelled.

"In any event, we'll meet tomorrow morning on the practice field so that I can evaluate each of your skills and weaknesses. Bring all of your ninja tools and weapons," Kakashi started and then continued as he let everything he was saying get into their minds. "And don't have breakfast before-hand… unless you enjoy throwing up."

"What ever," Koei replied waving her hand in front of her as she stood up. "I don't' believe this."

"Believe what you want," Kakashi replied. "But here is the details of your assignment of this handout. Memorize it… and don't be late!"

"This is all… Just a waste of my time," Koei said frowning as she begun to walk away from the others.

(1): Lonely


	2. All That Work to be a Failure

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is my own character Koei X, and the original plot that has been inserted in.

Naruto

Number 2: All that Work to Be a Failure

Saga: Darkness is All I Can See

"Where the hell is the teacher?" Koei asked looking around. "And he told us not be late…"

"Good morning!" Kakashi shouted waving at the four kids as he approached them.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto screamed angrily.

"Great…" Sasuke sighed.

"Let's get this stupid thing over with," Koei muttered as she shifted her eight to her left leg.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon," Kakashi started as his students looked at him with confused expressions on their faces. "I have here three small bells…" He paused to show four kids that he had them in his hands. "You're challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails doesn't get any lunch."

"So…" Koei said, and then frowned in Naruto's directions when she noticed the horrified look on his face.

"Instead you will be tied to that tree stump, so I can eat your lunch in front of you," Kakashi finished as Naruto let out a moan.

Sakura edged away from Naruto and closer to Sasuke, who looked at the two of them in disgust.

"Pathetic, I don't eat much anyway," Koei shrugged, looking at Kakashi. "I can go without lunch and the other two meals for a week without complaining."

"Are you anorexic!" Kakashi screamed jumping in surprise. "Ninja's can't be without food! Where else do you get all the energy to move around and perform sacred arts with your charka?"

Koei frowned at him, and then crossed her arms over her chest. He was only doing this to make a scene, waste more of their time, and make the four of them nervous.

"Anyway… All you need is just one bell, apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, one of you is definitely headed for the stump. Whoever that is will be the first of you to fail," Kakashi then started to tie the three bells to his belt. "One of you is on your way back to school… and disgrace."

Sasuke glared at his teacher. No way in hell was he going to be the one sent back to that miserable school for more training. No way in seven hells was he going to end up there again…

"You may, if you choose, use shuriken," Kakashi said finishing up. "Attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance."

"But…" Sakura started out scared. "But that's so dangerous!"

"You couldn't even doge an eraser!" Naruto added in. "You're going to get yourself killed!"  
"Only the weak speak loudly," Kakashi said, staring at Naruto. "Now let's forget the dunce, and we'll start on my signal!"

__

DUNCE? Since when can he call me a dunce? No one calls me, Naruto a dunce! He's gunna pay for it!

Naruto's hand swung down to his shuriken pouch and whipped out a kunai. He charged at Kakashi ready to kill him, as he had instructed before.

"Oh…" Kakashi said looking at him a little shocked as he saw Naruto in front of him a second latter. He flipped out his right hand and caught Naruto's kunai barring arm and then slammed his left hand on top of Naruto's head, spinning him around in the process.

Naruto gasped as he realized what had just happened. His attack was now flipped around; his kunai barring hand was flipped around so he was now pointing it at himself, the back of his neck.

"Not so fast," Kakashi grinned at him. "I didn't say, 'go'."

__

Interesting… I didn't even see him move. Koei thought as a small smile spread across her face. _At least now I know what I am up against._

So this is an elite Shinobi…Sasuke looked at his teacher with an interesting smile on his face. _This is going to be fun._

"But at least you stuck to kill… So, it seems you've begun to respect me," Kakashi finished up with Naruto as he let him go. He then laughed. "Maybe, just maybe. I'm starting to like you four."

Naruto smiled.

"And now, ready… steady… GO!" Kakashi screamed as his four students disappeared from sight. "The basis of all Shinobi arts is to become invisible… eradicate yourself…"

__

All four of them are pretty well hidden…Kakashi scratched the back of his head as he looked around in front of him.

"It's time for the match to begin!" Naruto screamed out form behind Kakashi, causing him to flip around to face him.

"What the…" Kakashi said looking at him. He had been mistaken. Only three of his students had hidden. The dunce stayed in plain sight, mistaking his meaning of a fight.

"Let's make it a real match, worthy of the greatest warriors!" Naruto screamed as a huge smile spread across his face.

"You may be thinking of the wrong kind of match…"

"That idiot…" Koei said looking down at the two of them that were in plain sight from behind a tree. Naruto did have potential, but he was going to get killed instantly in a real battle.

"The only wrong thing here is your hairstyle!" Naruto screamed, charging at his teacher.

Kakashi sighed as he moved his hand towards his tan pouch that was around his waist. He stuck his hand inside of it and smiled.

"Uh-oh!" Naruto blared without even thinking, screeching to a halt.

"Let me teach you… first Ninjutsu skill!" Kakashi said a huge smile spread across his half covered face. "Tai-Jutsu, the art of the trained body!"

__

The trained body? Isn't that like hand-to-hand combat? SO how come… He's going to a weapon? Naruto stared at his teacher unblinkingly as he waited for the next move. A confused look spread across his face as Kakashi revealed what he pulled out form his tan pouch.

__

Make-Out Paradise Vol. 1

"Wha…"

"Is something wrong? I thought you were coming for me," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto with the same confused look he had on his own face.

"But… You… I mean, I… I mean… Why are you… That's a book!"

"Of course it's a book. I've been dying to find out how this story ends. I shouldn't make any difference in the outcome, considering who I'm up against." He then turned his attention over to his book and begun to read it. "Carry on."

"I'M GUNNA FLATTEN YOU!" Naruto screamed as he charged at his teacher, on arm held back, ready to punch him. "GRAAA!" His punch was blocked with Kakashi's hand as he continued to read. He threw his foot at him next.

"Hmf…" Kakashi let out as he ducked from Naruto's kick.

"All right! That's it!" Naruto screamed again. He threw another punch but ended up begin in front of Kakashi somehow. A second ago he was about to punch the guy in the back of the head. "What the…?"

"Showing your back so many times is very poor Ninjutsu…" Kakashi said and then added in. "Dunce."

__

Idiot… He's gunna get himself killed like Master Kakashi said… Oh! He's using his hands to make the sign of the tiger! But he couldn't be! It's much to advanced a technique to use against Naruto! Koei frowned as she watched Naruto helplessly. "Naruto! Get out of there! You'll be KILLED!"

"What?" Naruto said flipping around to the sound of Koei's voice.

"Too late," Kakashi muttered looking in Koei's direction. He flung his hands up together with his middle and index finger slammed together. It made contact right up Naruto's ass. He was sent flying into the air and into the lake that was a few so hundred years in front of the two. "Konohagakure village's most secret and most sacred technique! **One Thousand Years of Death**!"

"… That's supposed to be Ninjutsu! What kind of 'Sacred Technique' is that? Looks more like he just shoved something up Naruto's ass!" Sakura remarked as she watched Naruto fly into the sky.

"Huh! They're both buffoons!" Sasuke frowned at the two _buffoons_in front of him.

"I warned him," Koei said shrugging her shoulders. "Guess the poor kids done for now…"

Kakashi sighed as he flipped the page in his book and went back reading.

__

He won… That kind of strength isn't fair play… Koei thought frowning.

__

CRAP! Naruto looked around as he stayed in the water he had just landed in. Sinking closer to the bottom. _Not like this… This isn't how this is gunna go!_ He reached his hand into his shuriken holster and flipped two of them out. Throwing them out of the water and towards his reading teacher.

Kakashi flipped his hand out while he laughed at what he had just read in his book. The two shuriken were aught around his index and middle finger.

"NOOO!" Naruto screamed out under the water as his hands turned into fists.

"…" Koei stared down at Kakashi.

__

And he's still chuckling over his book… He's just playing with Naruto. Sakura looked over in Naruto's direction sympathetically. For once she felt sorry for the position he had placed himself in. He had just walked into a battle everyone knew he was going to lose.

__

I WILL NOT BACK DOWN! Naruto thought angrily as he put himself into the form of the Ninjutsu doppelganger technique.

Naruto shot up out of the water and landed right in front of Kakashi on his hands and knees.

"Well? What's the hold up? Get one of these bells by lunch, or you'll have no lunch!" Kakashi said not taking his eyes off of his book.

"Duh! I know that!" Naruto said angrily.

"You claim to want to surpass Lord Hokage, but you've already run out of steam…"

"Crap! Crap! Crap! I can fight no matter how hungry I am!" His stomach growled. "I just wasn't ready! That's all!"

"So learn to get ready. Don't they say that chance favors the prepared mind?" Kakashi begun to walk away from Naruto, his eyes till plastered to his book.

__

Crap! I'm starving…and completely out of gas… He glared over in Kakashi's direction. _But… I have to get a bell no matter what! And I have to earn his respect!_

"Jeez…" Kakashi was still musing over his book.

__

NO MATTER WHAT! I have to become a true Shinobi!

Seven doppelgangers of himself shot out of the water and laded in front of Kakashi.

"Hunh?" Kakashi asked finally taking his glance away from the book and to the eight Naruto's in front of him.

"Ha-Hah! My specialty the art of the doppelganger! Get ready! Now you face a lot more than just one of me!" Naruto screamed as a nasty smile spread across his face.

__

At least they're all solid… Last time he preformed it in class he wasn't even able to summon one, let alone make it alive. He must have been training real hard to be able to summon up eight like that… Koei watched them as a smile spread across her face. Maybe, just maybe her cell that she was placed in actually had some potential.

"Not misdirection, but actual, multiple…_ Multiple_, flesh-and-bone bodies!" Kakashi breathed out looking at Naruto. At least this kid had something to him, more than he would have thought.

__

This is the lost Shinobi skill from the forbidden scroll… It's a technique he used to defeat Mizuki!

"But at your level you couldn't be strong enough to keep this up for more than a minute. You talk a good game… But you're still only Naruto! You're a one-truck pony who hasn't got what it takes to win!" Kakashi said now turning his attention back to the book.

"Who-what!" Kakashi cried out a second latter as he felt another body attach to him on his back. "Behind me?"

"Uh…" Koei said looking down at the attack that had just happened, she hadn't even expected it.

Sakura looked dumb folded.

Sasuke just smiled.

The bells jingled at Kakashi's side.

Naruto snickered happily. "Nice to see your back… Master!" His other copies approached while he explained what had just happened. "I isolated one of my doppelgangers… sent it out of the water posing as me. While I circled around, behind you! Here's payback for what you did to my ass! This must be hard on you, so I'll go easy! One good hit is all I want!"

Idiot… Do you really think he'd leave himself out in the open so much?

__

That guy…

"He used the art of misdirection… feinting to distract his enemy before he stuck somewhere else." Sasuke smiled.

"Relax! I told you, I'm only gunna hit you once!" Naruto screamed pulling back a fist, ready to hit him in the face.

One of his doppelgangers screamed out in pain. The real Naruto looked at where he had just punched, it was not Kakashi. It was in fact a clone of himself, he had just punched himself, and another self was attached to his back… But where was Kakashi!

__

I thought I hit…

"Naruto!" Sakura said looking down at him wide eyes.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!" the doppelganger cried out.

"You're Master Kakashi aren't you! You sued the art of transformation to change!" The real Naruto screamed out angrily.

"No! You did!"

"So did you!"

"Did not!"

"You have the same smell as Master Kakashi… Like an old guy!"

"I DO NOT!"

"Hey wait a minute… Drop the illusion. If you do, there'll be just one of us… and you'll know for sure which of us is which…"

"Why didn't you think of that sooner, idiot!"

"Because I'm you idiot!"

The illusion was dropped and one Naruto was left, standing alone in the center of the battlefield. Kakashi was nowhere in sight. He was gone.

__

Naruto… Looks awful. Sakura thought and then jumped a little as she saw Koei jump into plain view. Near Naruto.

"He used the art of substitution. It's the third article in the first scroll of Ninjutsu! You act with speed and skill to swap places with one of the plants, animals, or people in the landscape. Part of the technique is to make it look as though you've been stuck and in the interval strike back…" Koei begun looking around from where she was standing patently and then continued. "That so called Elite Shinobi traded places with one of Naruto's doppelgangers. When he was attacked, not only did he create an optical illusion but he used your actual attack… against him…"

Naruto just looked at her, as if he didn't really understand anything she had just said. He turned his attention over to his side, happily seeing a bell. He then quickly glanced back at Koei and looked back at the bell, jumping at it. "It's mine! HUH!" He flung up in the air and was wrapped around his ankles with a rope. It was a bobby trap, he had been captured. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Of course it's a trap stupid…" Koei muttered under her breath as she looked around where she was standing._ But even more troubling… Master Kakashi didn't even drop his guard once when he was fighting Naruto…_

"Uh…" Naruto said as he saw Kakashi step into view. "OH!"

"You sued your technique well, but so did I, and you were the one who got used…" Kakashi said picking up his bell. "And to be caught in such an obvious trap, was stupid!"

"ARGH!" Naruto breathed out grinding his teeth together.

"Shinobi read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings."

"I know that!"

"Uh, no you don't. That's why I'm saying it."

__

Finally! He's finally off guard! Koei said smirking as she threw four shuriken at him. She was just happy that he had not noticed her, or at least from what she thought.

"Naruto you…" Kakashi begun but stopped when the four shuriken slammed right into his side.

"Whoa! Whoa! No way! That was over kill Koei!" Naruto screamed flaring around wildly.

"No it wasn't…" Koei breathed angrily as she saw a log fall down in his face with her weapons slammed into it. "It was never him to begin with… He used substitution again, and I knew he was so gunna do it again. And I stupidly thought he was off guard and fell for it like an amateur!" She jumped back from where she was standing hurriedly as she heard a twig snap. But could it really be him? Would he be so stupid as to make so much noise…?

__

Sasuke… Where are you going? Sakura asked herself as she watched him jump away from his hiding place. A rustle of leaves was hear and she jumped to the ground, behind a bush, looking at Master Kakashi who was reading a book right n front of her.

__

Safe… He hasn't seen me…

"Sakura, behind you…" A voice said.

She flipped around to see Kakashi starring at her wide-eyed.

"Read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings my ass!" Naruto screamed angrily as he cut himself lose from where he was bound. He landed on the ground with his feet, to only be thrown back up into the air a second latter. He was trapped again.

"NOT AGAIN!"

Sakura gazed sleepily as she watched a whirl of leaves form around Kakashi. She slowly closed her eyes and then shot them open a second latter, realizing what she had just done.

"What? What was the! Where'd out teacher go!" Sakura cried out.

"Sakura…" a voice said, but it sounded to distant.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out happily spinning around in the direction of the voice that had just called out her name.

"Sa…Saku…Ra… H-help… Me…" Sasuke called out looking up at her. HE had all sorts of shruiken sticking out of him, bleeding all over the place, dead.

Tears formed in Sakura's eyes as she let out a horrible scream and then fell to the ground, fainting.

"Was that to much?" Kakashi asked himself.

"That scream I just heard…" Koei said aloud frowning. "Sakura?"

"The second Ninjutsu skill… Genjutsu the art of illusion. And Sakura fell for it," Kakashi replied, still looking over his book.

__

He's been using the art of illusion… Employing hypnotism to create hallucinations in others… If that was Sakura, it's possible he may have beaten her… But…

"I'm not like them," Koei said aloud.

"Save your boasts until you've got a bell… Koei," Kakashi said leaning against a tree that was behind him, to get a better look at his book. "The strength of the X clan… The most elite family in Konohagakure village. I'm looking forward to it."

Koei just gazed at him plainly and then flipped out ten kunai in-between all of her fingers. She smiled and then flipped them all out at Kakashi.

"A frontal assault is wasted here!" Kakashi shouted out as he saw a huge smile spread across Koei's face. _A trap!_

Thirty kunai came shooting out of no where at him as he dodged the first ten, he jumped out of the way just in time and then dodged Koei's body as it came flying at him with a kick ready. He blocked another kick and then her fist when it cam flying at him. A frown was placed upon his face.

Koei flipped herself upside down and grabbed for one of the bells but missed, just barely as Kakashi kicked her away from him. She caught herself by her hands and did a black flip until she was standing upright on her feet again.

__

This one's not bad. I can't even read 'Make Out Paradise' while we're fighting.

"Hunh?" Sakura sat up. _I remember! Sasuke was dying… And when I saw that I… _"Sasuke! Don't die… Don't leave me! Where are you!"

Naruto spied around in mid air with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Is that a rock? The tree stump! So that's what it looks like from behind… Hey… The lunch boxes are on top of that boulder!" Naruto cried out happily. "Shinobi are supposed to read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings… right!" He laughed to himself happily.

"I admit it. You're not like the others…" Kakashi smiled.

Koei smiled at him and then flipped her hands around, performing a technique that was only passed down in her family.

BIRD! TIGER! DRAGON! DARKNESS STYLE! DEATH TECHNIQUE!

"Wha… aat!" Kakashi screamed out amazed. _That skill is beyond the capacity of any novice… Her Chakra shouldn't have developed enough yet to perform it!_

Black flames came shooting out from Koei's mouth and surrounded where Kakashi was standing. She stopped her technique, watching the smoke clear. She smiled but it was then replaced with a frown as Kakashi was nowhere in sight. He had totally missed her whole attack.

__

He's gone! Behind me…? Above…? Where'd he go!

"Below," echoed Kakashi's voice as Koei jumped. She was then pulled into the ground by Kakashi's hand.

"Earth style! Groundhog technique decapitation!" Kakashi yelled.

"NO!" Koei screamed, as the only part of her body that was sticking out of the ground was her head.

"Shinobi battle technique, lesson number three… Ninjutsu," Kakashi said crouching in front of her with a smile on his face. "But at least, as you predicted your performance was head and shoulders above that of your companions."

Koei just starred at him as he begun to walk away from her.

"Oh well… You know what they say! The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down right?" Kakashi laughed as he left Koei.

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath.

Naruto laughed evilly. "Even if I can't take those bells fair and square… I can deal with it. I'll just hang out here and eat everybody's lunch!"

Kakashi cleared his throat above Naruto, crouching on the 'boulder'.

"Uuuh… Just kidding…?"

"Too late!" Kakashi answered.

__

Crap… And I was so close too, or at least that's what it seemed like… How could this have happened! I didn't learn all that stupid stuff just to show it off as a trick! It was meant to attack him! I want to pass! I can't fail now! Not ever!

"Lovely seeing you out here… Where's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked walking into sight.

"Don't know…" Koei muttered glaring up at him. "Think it's funny don't you. Seeing me talk so big and now I'm here defenseless!"

"I didn't say anything at all," Sasuke replied. "What'd you do to get like that in the first place?"

"Kakashi," Koei muttered. She twisted around and then gritted her teeth. The ground around her exploded and she shot out from it. Landing on her feet she stared up at Sasuke. "It's almost noon. Time's running out, I'm going to get one those stupid bells, even if it kills me…"

"Koei do you honestly believe you can get one of those bells?" Sasuke asked looking at her. _If anyone should get one, it should be me. Who cares about the rest of those losers anyway!_

"I got close enough to touch them… This time I'll take them," Koei said walking off.

"Really?" Sasuke asked, following her. "How can you be sure? After all, you are nowhere near his level. I bet your Chakra's so low. Even Naruto could probably put up a better fight than you, after all, we know nothing about you Koei X."

Koei stopped dead in her tracks and frowned.

"OF course you don't! Everyone forgets the X clan!" Koei said as a wind picked up. Blowing her hair out of place.

"X clan?" Sasuke asked. "I've never heard of them."

"Again, of course you haven't. Only the most important people know of my family, such as the Hokage. After all, we've all turned out to be extremely Elite Shinobi. Hiding ourselves in the darkness, not wanting to draw attention," Koei replied. "You don't know what's it's like to live in a family such as mine. See you mother die right in front of you… Living on your own, without a mothers' love, or a father's attention. So don't tell me, I'm not strong enough. That my Chakra is low; I've spent my whole life training. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to get my revenge."

"Who…?" Sasuke asked shifting his full attention to her. "Who?"

"My father, Yuki…" Koei breathed out looking over to Sasuke. "My only goal is to have my revenge. I have to become stronger than he is now… I have to be powerful. I have to kill my father."

Sasuke just stared at Koei amazed, he opened his mouth to say something to her but was interrupted when the bell rang, signaling that it was noon, and their battle with Kakashi was over.

None of them had gotten a bell.

"I should have saved my breath…" Koei hissed.

Sasuke just looked at her, almost with pity in his expression, but managed to hold it all back.

"Oh my. Listing to all the little stomachs growl!" Kakashi cried starring at them all. "By the way, you four. I have an announcement about this exercise. None of you need worry any more about being sent back to the Ninja Academy," Kakashi begun looking at their happy faces.

" Yeah!" Naruto cried out twisting around in between the stump he was tied to and the tope that bound him.

Sasuke looked dup at Kakashi with a small smile on his face.

__

Even me? After the way I fainted! We all passed? Sakura thought surprised.

"Noo…" Koei said with tears in her eyes. "This can't be… No. I tried to hard…"

"This rocks! It means all four of us-" Naruto was cut off.

"…Are hopeless. More schooling would be pointless. None of you will ever be Shinobi!"


	3. Just Plain Naruto

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is my own character Koei X, and the original plot that has been inserted in.

Naruto

Number 3: Just Plain Naruto

Saga: Darkness is All I Can See

"Give it up. Not one of the three of you will even be a Ninja!" Kakashi said, as his eyes got narrower. He had an angry and disappointed look on his face as he stared at his four students.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GIVE UP!" Naruto screamed as he tried to retch himself away from the log he was tied too. "GIVE ME A BREAK! Okay, so maybe none of us got our hands on one of your stupid bells… But why the Hell should be quite over that!"

"Because not one of you…" Kakashi paused, glaring at Naruto. "HAS WHAT IT TAKES!"

Koei flinched at his sudden statement and then got up on her feet from her crouching position. She twisted hands around behind her back and then opened her mouth to speak. "I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep trying until I become the worlds greatest Shinobi! I have to! I'll do what ever it takes!"

Kakashi just stared at her. He made no sigh that he even heard her speak.

"What you are is a bunch of spoiled brats…" Kakashi let his words sink in before he continued again. The four of them glared. "Are you trying to make fun of the Shinobi with you behavior? Well, are you? Did you even stop to wonder for a minute… Why you were divided into teams!"

"Uhh… Excuse me?" Sakura said looking at him.

Naruto stared at her, wondering what exactly she was asking to be excused for.

"Obviously not. So you missed the entire point of the exercise."

"It had a point…?" Naruto asked looking at him.

"Of course. And the point determines whether or not you would succeed."

"But… You haven't explained what it is!" Sakura shouted, now a little angry.

"… I don't believe this," Kakashi breathed out not rubbing his temple with his fingers.

"Teamwork…" Koei breathed as she sunk back down to her knees and sat on the ground. Hr eyes now glazing at her hands. "We needed to use teamwork…"

Kakashi smiled at her, but only for a second before it turned back into a frown. "She knows it. Why don't the rest of you! If the four of you have come at me… together. You might have been able to take the bells!"

"Wait am minute," Sakura said angrily. "If we were expected to function as a team, why did you only have three bells? Even if we'd worked together one of us still would have had to go without lunch. You're preaching teamwork, but you played us against each other!"

"Of course. This task was designed to cause dissension in your ranks…"

Sasuke glared.

"The situation was set up to reveal which of you… would set aside your individual interests and propose to the others that you work together for the good of all," Kakashi said now starring around at the four of them. "Instead of which, you Sakura, ignored Naruto, who was right in front of you… while you focused your attention of Sasuke, though you didn't know where he was. Naruto tried to do single handedly what should have been the world of all four! Sasuke had already decided that the other three just got in his way, and he was better off playing solo…"

More anger showed on Sasuke's face as he heard Kakashi tell him, of all people, what he was doing wrong.

"Koei decided she was above the rest of you and wouldn't make the same mistakes and attacked my by herself. But what I don't understand if you know you were missing teamwork why didn't you suggest it before!"

Koei didn't even bother to lift her head up as she leaned against the log behind her. Hair flowing in front of her face as her voice spoke out, sounding extremely disappointed. "Cause I was to caught up in myself. I had all my concentration on how good my own abilities were, even though I could have used the rest of my teammates help. But then again… How can you blame me? I've never worked in a team before, let alone had friends to do teamwork with… But still, I shouldn't have just focused on my own goals… I take full responsibility for what just happened, I didn't work as a team or even act like I was in one…"

"You are a team! Learn to act as one! Yes, it's necessary for a Ninja to have individual skills, but… what is even more important now it teamwork!" Kakashi shouted as he reached into his pouch handing around his waist. He put his hand inside and reached around. "Making a play as an individual is bad for the team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You might as well kill them yourself. Here's an example…"

Kakashi flashed out of sight in a blink of an eye. Sasuke flipped his attention around looking for where Kakashi might have gone. He then spotted Koei now stand up. Kakashi was right behind her with a kunai at her throat. Her arms were twisted around her back and her head titled down at her own free will. She didn't even look as though the situation she was in bothered her.

"Sasuke! Kill Naruto! Or Koei dies!" Kakashi shouted out giving more pressure to the weapon at Koei's neck.

"WHAT!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi released the weapon at her neck and then stepped away, Koei didn't even budge from where she was standing. "The day may come… when one of you may be taken hostage, and you're forced to make such a choice. When you are on a mission, you're lives will always be on the line.

Koei stared down at her feet. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and, they slowly ran down her face. _Would anyone have even tried to save me if I was taken hostage like this? Sure Sasuke doesn't like Naruto, but I'm sure he wouldn't have taken his life jus to save mine. After all I'm not friends with any of them, and I'm positive they will just think I'm some sort of stuck pup know it all jerk… They must hate me so much now…_

"Look at the marker… All the names carved in the stone," Kakashi said walking in the directed of the stone that Naruto had claimed to be a boulder. "Heroes of our village. Ninja."

Naruto twitched a little when he heard this and then snapped his attention all over to the marker. "That's it! I just made up my mind! There's where I want my name to go! I'm not going to throw my life away! I want to be like them-a hero!"

Sasuke shot him a nasty look.

"But the ones listed there aren't just any heroes…" Kakashi replied.

"Really? What kind of heroes are they!" Naruto shouted. He waited for Kakashi to answer but he never did. "Come on! Come on!"

"The dead kind. They died in the line of duty," Kakashi said, the smile vanished from Naruto's face. "This is a memorial. It includes the names of my best friends."

Tears came down faster on Koei's face as she mouthed the word _mother_. She than sat down and leaned back against the log again. Now moving her legs up to her face as she wrapped her arms around them.

"Pay attention! I'm giving you all one last chance. One that will be far more difficult than out last little game with the bells. If you're prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes. But no sharing with Naruto. He goes hungry," Kakashi said, his voice ringing loud and clear.

"Why?" Naruto hissed.

"You brought it on yourself when you tried to sneak lunch for yourself. If either of you feeds him, you fail the test right here. My world is law. Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded his or her heads besides Koei.

Kakashi gave them all one last look and then disappeared from where he was standing.

"Hey this'll be a breeze! I can go without lunch… No problem!" Naruto screamed just as his stomach growled.

Koei shifted from where she was sitting so she now had her back turned to the three of them. She sniffed a little and then jumped when she felt someone put her hand on her shoulder.

Looking up she saw Sakura holding her lunch out for her. "Here. You should eat… Okay?"

Koei dried her eyes and then stood up. Taking the lunch from Sakura she gave her a weak smile. "Thanks. But no thanks. Someone else needs this a lot more…" She walked over to Naruto and untied him from the log.

Naruto stood on his feet and stretched out his arm a little and then looked at Koei confused as she thrust her lunch in front of him.

"But Master Kakashi told us-!" Naruto shouted and then Koei cut him short.

"I'm not worried much. I'm not hungry and you are okay? So eat my lunch. We all are going to need our strength when we go to work together on getting those bells right? You're not going to be in a very good condition if you're hungry!" Just a big liability!" Koei smiled at him as much as her sadness would let her.

Sakura gulped and then thrust her lunch in Naruto's direction. "I'm not hungry either!"

Sasuke look in Koei's direction and held out his lunch to her instead of Naruto. "You're making this a huge effort to cover up how drained you are at the moment. You didn't' think anyone saw that technique you used against Kakashi? That must have drained a lot of your Chakra. You'd better eat this or you're going to just be a sitting duck out there…"

"Heh," Koei looked at Sasuke, her smile grew a little more. "Thanks."

__

Maybe… Just maybe they don't hate me as much as I thought they did.

"But I want you to have half of it okay!" Koei breathed happily. But before Sasuke had a change to reply a huge gust of wind and dust appeared in front of them all, causing screams and shouts of 'What the Hell!'

"YOU…" Kakashi shouted charging at his four students as they all looked at him with utter fear. He had found them all out. "PASS!" He then winked at them with his only eye showing. He had the look of pure joy on his face.

"Eh!" Sakura shouted looking at him taken back. "We pass? But… Why!"

"You four have just taken a giant step forward!" Kakashi said happily.

"How?" Naruto asked, just as confused as Sakura.

"Up until now, all any of you have done is listen unquestioningly to everything I say… Like mindless little drones. A true Shinobi seeks the hidden meanings within meanings. In a Ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are lower than garbage. However… Those who do not care for and support their fellows are even lower then that!"

"Oh…" Naruto said.

__

That's…Kind of cool…? Koei looked at him and then blushed a little.

"This exercise is now concluded. You all pass! That's all for today, team seven. You're duties will commence tomorrow!" Kakashi shouted giving them all a thumbs up.

"I… I did it! I did it! I'm a ninja! Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!" Naruto shouted happily as he pranced around but then let out a horrible scream as he dropped the two lunches Koei and Sakura had given him. "NOOO!"

"Let's go home…" Kakashi said, ignoring him as Sasuke and Sakura followed.

Naruto sank to his knees as he tried to pick up the remains of the food that hadn't touched the ground.

"Hey…" Koei said standing in front of Naruto. "Don't eat it… It's been on the ground. I'll take you out for ramen or something… You did say it was your favorite food right?"

Naruto looked up at her with a big smile on his face.

"This is the same place Master Iruka took me for ramen!" Naruto said between stuffing his face with the food she had gotten him.

"Really?" Koei asked. "So then you and Master Iruka must be good friends right? Or related maybe?"

"Related!" Naruto shouted, laughing. "No! I guess you could say we are sort of friends though? He took me here after I defaced the four Lord Hokage monuments on the mountain side!"

"That was you?" Koei asked, laughing. "I should have guessed!"

"So…" Naruto looked at her a little sheepishly. "Why'd you ask me to come here with you? You don't exactly seem like a very social or people person."

"I guess I could say you're right," Koei answered, staring down at her own bowl of ramen. "I don't have very many people skills because I've never actually had friends. My fault really. I just try and keep myself away from everyone. But since you're in the seam with Sasuke, Sakura, and me I sort of wanted to get to know the rest of you better. So I can try and not make anymore mistakes and everything." She then looked t him and gave him a small smile for reassurance. "Besides! You looked half starved back there! I mean come on! You were trying to eat food off of the ground!" She laughed and Naruto just looked at her a little taken back.

"I have to say though, you're a lot different than what I had taken you to be when I first met you," Naruto added. "You didn't really seem like the type of person who would laugh and act like this around others…"

"You're right," Koei replied. "I'm trying to get out of the habit. I want to stop any of my weaknesses before they start!"

"Oh…" Naruto said looking at her confused. "Alright then…"

"How come you're so built up on becoming the next Lord Hokage anyway?" Koei asked. "I remember you mentioning that you wanted to be the next when Kakashi had us introduce ourselves and everything a few days ago."

"So then… You don't know?" Naruto asked, even more taken back. "About me and everything?"

"No clue what you're talking about," Koei answered.

"I've got the nine tailed fox demon trapped inside of me…" Naruto said softly. His words rang in Koei's ears for a few seconds before she was able to get away from the thoughts of him having the demon trapped inside of him. "You're not going to fear or hate me now are you?"

"It doesn't make a difference," Koei said sternly. "You are Naruto and nothing more. Even if you do have that fox demon inside of you that still doesn't change who you are. To me you are just Naruto!"

Naruto smiled. Was she really the first person who didn't hate him for being the fox or fear him because of it? Was she really the first person who actually saw him as just plain old Naruto?

"It's getting late, I think we should go," Koei laughed nervously as she stood up after she paid the bill for the both of them. "Come on!"

She waved her hand over her shoulder at Naruto since her back was turned and begun to walk away. She stopped when she felt someone throw his or hers arms around her. Her eyes got a little big and then flipped her head around to see Naruto hugging her around the neck.

"Uh…?" Koei blushed.

"Thanks. Thanks for seeing me as just plain Naruto," Naruto whispered smiling.

"You're welcome, I guess…" Koei smiled back at him.


	4. Level C Mission!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is my own character Koei X, and the original plot that has been inserted in.

Naruto

Number 4: Level C Mission!

Saga: Darkness is All I Can See

"Come on!" Naruto screamed as he sat on the floor. His hands were holding onto the bottom of his sandals. "Can't we get a high, more risky mission! I'm tired of doing the easy stuff! I want something more exciting!"

Koei laughed to herself as Sakura looked at Naruto, mortified. Sasuke seemed to be enjoying himself less and less around Naruto while Kakashi didn't know how he was able to put up with him.

"Don't be a fool! You're only a beginner! Everyone starts out doing grunt work! It's where you get experience, so you can work your way up to the bigger things!" Iruka yelled out slamming his hands on the table in front of him while the Hokage just sighed at the predicament that was taking place.

"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action!" Naruto screamed at him in protest.

"Naruto, that's enough. Knock it off!" Koei threw him a nervous glance. Angering the Hokage was not on her to do list.

"Apparently Naruto needs an explanation of just what these duties are. You see, everyday our village receives many requests. From everything to babysitters to assassination. We take that tremendous variety, and sort them into categories from A to D, based on the decree of skill they require," the Hokage paused and then drew a breath and stared up again. "We have also divided the Shinobi into classes. Based on the level of skills. After we of the upper echelon have sorted all the requests we distribute them to those of the level of ability deemed most appropriate."

Naruto just stared at him, as though he was just waiting for him to finish talking.

"And… If the Ninja in question completes those duties successfully than the grateful person he has helped pays him a fee. Thus far, the four of you have only just attained the lowest rank, level D tasks are the best you could aspire to," the Hokage finished, sighing once more.

Hmm… I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday… So I think I'll have miso ramen today!" Naruto decided, his back was now turned to the Hokage.

"ARE YOU LISTENING!" the Hokage yelled as he rested his forehead on his hand.

"I… I'm sorry!" Kakashi, apologized.

"I don't want to hear it! All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture! But it's not fair. There's more to me than the trouble making screw up… THE OLD MAN THINKS I AM!" Naruto screamed before Kakashi could put in another word.

__

I'm going to be in so much trouble for this later…Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and then took a quick glance at Naruto before he returned his full attention back to the Hokage.

"Very well…" the Hokage started as Naruto looked at him surprised. "Since you put it that way… I will permit you to attempt a C grade task-usually reserved for Shinobi of the Journeyman Level… The protection of a certain individual…"

"All right!" Naruto screamed happily as he jumped to his feet.

"Who?" Sasuke asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Ojiru Ekibyougami," the Hokage said as the door to their left slide open to reveal a tall man, possibly a few inches taller than Kakashi. He had shoulder length brown hair that burled a little at the end and dark brown eyes, almost black. He was wearing a plain black shirt with black pants. A red sash was tied around his waist concealing two swords in two dark blue sheaths. His hands had elbow length black gloved and his black sandals were nearly hidden by his pants.

He smiled down at the four kids and then gave out a sort of salute. "As I've already been introduced… I'm Ojiru Ekibyougami. Some think of me as one of the most skilled men in the world of sword making! And until I've reached my own country I guess you four and your sensei will be my escorts?"

Koei stared up at him with a slight sign of interest in her face. A small smile spread over it and then she dug her hands into her pockets.

A dangerous mission was in store for them.

Sasuke looked at the rest of his teammates as they all met outside of the gates along with Ojiru._ Stupid Sakura… When will she ever stop gawking over me! Naruto's no better… Wish he would just realized that I'm stronger than him and get over it…_ He gazed over the area and then took a quick re-check to his right were Koei was now standing. She had changed her appearance, and it seemed as though everyone was starting to notice it.

Her hair remained the same but she had moved her headband off of her forehead and around her neck where it hung limply, like an oversized dog collar. She was now wearing a huge, long sleeve black kimono (knee length) with dark blue trim. Over her hands she had black cut off glove s and her black pants seemed to be a couple sized to big. Around her left leg still remained her tape and shruiken holster. A plain black scarf hung around her waist, dragging on the ground behind her, holding her five foot long katana in it's plain black sheath. Her sandals were the same but the most drastic change about her seemed to be the reflection in her eyes. They looked hollow and empty, as though she had lost something, something that seemed to have meant a lot to her.

"Where'd you get the sword?" Naruto asked, blinking at her stupidly.

"I got it when I was little," Koei replied, her voice seemed hurt and distant, as though this was not a memory to be brought up.

"Shibito X? married to Yuki X? Ojiru asked, raising an eyebrow at Koei. "I made that sword, some when ten years ago for your father? I never forge a sword that I've mad, especially one such as yours. It was probably the only one I wasn't willing to give up, but alas I did… Do you mind if I look at it once more?"

Koei glanced at him, a little hesitant, but removed her sheath and sword when Kakashi gave her a glance.

Ojiru pulled the sword out of its sheath and then shook his head, disgusted. "It's stained with blood. Why wasn't it cleaned properly after use?"

Koei stared down at her feet, then held out her hand, as if signaling him to return the sword.

Ojiru sighed and sheathed it, handing it back to her as she replaced it once again between her scarf and kimono.

"Well if were done here why don't we get started then?" Kakashi asked rolling his eyes at the five of them as he started off North of the Konohagakure Village.

"Alright!" Naruto screamed throwing a fist in the air. "Finally this mission is getting started!"

Sakura glanced sideways at Koei for the fifth time in the past ten seconds. _What's wrong with her! She looks so sad! But how the hell can she be! I mean after all she's got Sasuke walking right beside her! Sure he's not talking to her, but still! I'd kill to be that close to him!_

Drawing in a breath Sakura slowed her pace down until she was now at Koei's side.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked looking at Koei. "You're sending off sad vibes and I can't concentrate. What happened?"

"Oh!" Koei said, a little taken aback as to what had just happened. She then replaced her surprised look with a small smile. "Nothing! I'm fine! But thank you fro worrying!"

"Whatever. But if you want to talk to me about something… Don't be afraid to do so," Sakura picked her pace up to get back to Ojiru and Kakashi. Naruto was leading the way, though he had no clue as to where they were going.

Koei sighed, the smile still on her face as she looked back down at her shoes. She and Sasuke pressed forward.

"The blood…" Sasuke began, snapping Koei back into reality. "it was your mother's wasn't it?"

Koei didn't say anything but instead continued to look at the ground. Finally she opened her mouth to speak when she figured Sasuke wasn't going to quite staring at her if she didn't answer. "Yes. It was my mother's blood."

"Then you're father killed her with that sword… Why do you still keep it if it just bears bad memories?"

"Because…" Koei begun and then looked up at him, hurt. "Because it's the only thing I have left to remember her by. Sure it may not be a memory I want to remember above all others… But still! It's the only thing I have left! After he killed her he left me with my mothers dead body, blood all over the floor! He left me! Just like that!"

Sasuke's face twitched as he took in all of what she had said to him. Koei's eyes lined with tears as she forced herself to look back down at her shoes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that. You didn't need to know… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Sasuke said, staring up at the sky in front of him. "It's better for you to talk out your feelings with someone. Better than keeping them locked up inside of you."

Koei sniffed as she continued to look at her feet, then rushed forward up to Kakashi and Ojiru.

"Master Kakashi!" Koei raised her voice as her body begun to tense. "Can you be so polite as to tell me exactly where we will be escorting Mr. Ojiru too?"

"Oh," Kakashi replied, laughing at her sudden formality around them. "To the Village of Rain."

"Village of Rain?" Koei asked.

"You know, such as you come form the Village of the Leaf?" Kakashi looked at her, confused as to why she didn't know this.

"Sorry Master, I just wasn't thinking everything through clearly, I understand now," Koei spoke quickly when she noticed Kakashi's expression. "S-so this mission? We're not going to run into any other Ninja's along the way are we?"

"How come you're so worried?" Ojiru asked, smiling at her softly. "Of course we're not. If I were expecting someone to kill me I would have been put under the B or A task. Not a level C." He laughed at her and patted her on the head before returning his attention else were.

"Thank you Master, Ojiru," Koei said, bowing as she left, this time going to Naruto's side.

"Hmm?" Naruto asked looking at her. "Something you want?"

"No… Is it wrong of me to want to talk to you though?" Koei asked, sounding hurt.

"No not at all…" Naruto said, taken back at her sudden change of mood. She was so sad, or at least sounded lie she was, though her facial expression seemed to be happy. "It's just a little different and stuff. I thought you were mad at me for hugging you the other day. 'Cause you didn't talk to me after that and everything…"

"Sorry about that," Koei said, flashing him a small smile before going back to staring at her feet. "I just had a lot of my mind the next day. It wasn't anything that you did at all. Honest!"

"Oh… Uh, well I guess that makes sense," Naruto trailed off. "So this guy we're protecting, he made your sword right?"

"Yeah," Koei answered. The smile had faded as she crossed her arms behind her back. "He made the sword for my father, at least. But I received it in the end."

"So what happened to your mom and dad?" Naruto asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"There just gone," Koei said, narrowing her eyes. "My mother was murdered and then my father just left."

"Oh…" Naruto paused, if trying to choose his words carefully so he wouldn't offend her. "I didn't have any parents. I grew up by myself to…"

"I know," Koei replied, sighing. "And it's horrible right? Growing up without any parents. No love?"

"Yeah," Naruto said.

The wind begun to pick up, blowing everyone's hair out of place. Koei was still walking at Naruto's side; with a dead silence; all you could her was the wind and their footsteps.

"It's beautiful!" Sakura screamed, finally breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Koei glanced up as her train of thought was interrupted. She looked around to see pale pink blossoms falling all around them. "Oh. Are you talking about the cherry blossoms, Sakura?"

"Yeah."

"Don't any of you find this just a little peculiar?" Kakashi asked, speaking up for the second time on their trip. "Cherry Blossoms?"

"I don't see anything odd," Naruto said looking around.

"Cherry Blossoms in this weather?" Kakashi's eyes darted everywhere at once.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto shouted. Getting a little angry. "What's it got to do with the weather!"  
"They only bloom in the spring. We're in autumn right now," Koei stated, her voice shaking along with her hands.

"SO what," Naruto replied, crossing his arms over his chest looking at her. "What's this got to do with anything?"

"Koei?" Kakashi asked looking at her worried.

Now on her knees she was looking around, utterly horrified. Something was bothering her. Fear was written all over her face as she was shaking up a storm as she tried to stand up again.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, walking over to her side as she looked out in the direction she was starring, to only find nothing.

"C-c-cherry Blossoms…" Koei stuttered out, voice shaking. "Do y-you know what this m-means!"

"Huh?" Sakura looked over at Koei. _Why's she so scared all of a sudden? I can't sense anyone's charka_.

"Sakura? Naruto?" Kakashi asked, his voice was calm, to match his expression. "I want you to protect Ojiru at this moment. Sasuke? Get over there with them too."

Sasuke gave Koei one more quick glance before doing as Kakashi had ordered him too.

"Koei?" Kakashi asked, now at her side. "What is it that you see?"

"H-he's here…" Koei breathed out. Another wave of fear assaulted.

"Who Koei? Who?" Kakashi asked, now looking over to where she was standing, to only find her gone.

"KOEI!" Naruto screamed, amazed at what had just happened. He hadn't even noticed she had disappeared. His full attention, along with everyone else was on Kakashi.

"You look well Koei," a cold voice rang.

Everyone flipped around, looking for where the voice had come from. Ojiru was the first to spot the speaker.

"Up there," he said, pointing with his hand to a tree twenty or so yards away.

A tall man about six seven was standing on a tree branch. His shoulder length white hair flowed over his face and over his leaf headband. Wearing a skintight long sleeve shirt and black cargo pants he held Koei by the throat with his left hand. His sandals were black and his eyes red, they pierced right through Koei's own. Half of his face was covered in bandages along with his arms and a small part around his right left.

"Well! Aren't you going to speak!" he shouted at her. "Or am I gripping your throat to tight! If I were you wouldn't you at least be trying to save your own skin! We'll Koei, what does it feel like to se me again! WHAT ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW!"

"LET HER GO!" Naruto screamed. "Put Koei down now! Stop hurting her!"

"Whose the idiot?" the man asked, lowering his voice.

"Didn't you hear what I just said!" Naruto took a step forward. His hands were in fists, he looked as though he were about to attack. "WELL!"

Shifting his head in Naruto's direction he stared at his with his red eyes and then slowly released his grip around Koei's neck. "Is that what you wanted?"

Koei fell, her body lifeless. Now only twenty feet away from the ground she stared down at the death below her. She couldn't save herself even if she tried. She'd die, right here and there.

Closing her eyes she waited for the impact but felt nothing. Opening her eyes she looked up to see Kakashi holding her in his arms. HE was looking down with a concerned expression, then spoke to her.

"Are you alright? You're neck is starting to bruise."

"Fine," Koei answered as he set her down.

"Do you mind telling us who you are?" Kakashi looked over in the new man's direction.

"Ask her," he replied, laughing coldly. "She knows who I am. Well, introduce me to your friends Koei!"

"He…" Koei paused to look down. No one could see her face. "He's my father. Yuki X."


	5. I Am the Frozen Snow

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is my own character Koei X, and the original plot that has been inserted in.

Naruto

Number 5: I am the Frozen Snow

Saga: Darkness is All I Can See

"That's your father!" Sasuke spat angrily, glaring over in his direction.

"Why's your friend so rude?" Yuki asked, looking at Sasuke. His eyes left him a second later and rested on his daughter, her head still down, looking at the ground and her feet. "Do you still hate me that much, after all these years?"

Koei's hands tensed up at her sides and her eyebrows furrowed. Slowly, she raised her head so he could get a look at it. Her pupils had dilated and her faced was full of hate and anger.

"How could I not hate you!" Koei screamed.

Yuki flicked his hand in front of his face and held a kunai in it, inches from his left eye.

"I've seen you've gotten better," Yuki replied, closing his eyes, then snapped it in half.

Everyone stared at the two in amazement. Koei had managed to make a movement that not even their instructor could comprehend without the use of his Sharigan Eye.

"But you're still nowhere near my level," Yuki added, flashing her a smile. He cracked his fingers in and gave Kakashi a quick glance before slamming Koei into a nearby tree. His hand clutched her throat as she valiantly tried to escape.

"How does it feel Koei? To be killed by the hand of your father?" Yuki asked her, whispering. "You were hoping to take revenge on your mother… Yes? Hoping to kill lime because she could not?"

"Yeah, you sick bastard!" Koei choked out, glaring at him. "I hope you burn in Hell for everything you've done!"

"But your going with me," Yuki muttered, putting full pressure on the hand around her neck, snapping it. He snickered and then let the body drop to the ground. Turning his back away form her as it turned to smoke and vanished. "I see, you're a lot smarter than I took you for."

"Of course. I am being trained by Kakashi Sensei," Koei answered, jumping down from a nearby tree, landing cat like on the ground. Her eyes full of malice a she stared up at her father, meeting the same look. "What have you come here for? Surely not to kill me, you could have done that when I was a child."

"Smart as ever," Yuki answered. "I did not come here intending to kill you. I hoped you would seek me out on your own, yearning to se my blood, my dead corpse. But not today Koei, not today will I see death. I've come here for your escort. Ojiru, I want him to make a sword for me. Since it seems that you have mine…"

Kakashi looked over at Ojiru, as if asking for him to explain what was going on.

"I have no clue. This is still an escort mission," Ojiru replied. "I didn't have the faintest idea that he would be tracking me! Honest!"

Kakashi turned away from him and back to Koei, who was still glaring at her father.

"You're not getting a sword," Koei said, reaching for her own. "You're not going to create another demon! I won't allow it!"

"Stop me," Yuki replied, charging at her, kunai in hand.

She flipped out her sword and countered his kunai with a block, shoving her father and the weapon in his hand away from her with one quick push of the sword. Jumping into the air she slammed her sword down, in the position her father had been in seconds ago before quickly steeping aside.

Breathing heavily, mostly out of anger and frustration she jerked her sword out of the ground and took a stance. Sword in front of her and her knees slightly bent, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Pathetic! Can't you even manage to hit me!" Yuki taunted. "I don't believe that you're my daughter! What a disgrace!"

"But it's more of a disgrace to have you as my father," Koei replied. "For someone such as you should have never been born into this world. Creating more demons and anguish for others is not something to comprehend or be proud of…"

"I hate honorable people," Yuki said, looking at her, and then spat at her feet. "They get on my nerves… Almost as much as your bitch of a mother…"

Koei's whole face twitched. More anger was unleashing. Her charka was now glowing around her fiercely.

"You think some stupid trick is going to scare me!" Yuki screamed at her. "Am I making you mad Koei! Am I making you mad by insulting your mother! That bitch that you called mother for the first four years of your life! She should have meant nothing to you! She held you back from ever accomplishing any real goals!"

"No… Those were your goals," Koei replied. She felt like she was on fire, her charka had just taken another skyrocket. "You wanted me to follow in your footsteps. You wanted me to be your apprentice… To follow you to hell!"

"If it was hell, than so be it, but you're mother was not going to get in the way of my goals," Yuki replied, narrowing his eyes at her. "That's why she had to die. In order for you to become stronger, in order for you to suffer…"

"I HATE YOU!" Koei screamed at the top of her lungs, tears were already brimming her eyes. "You made my life a hell! You're going to pay for it! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"

"Then do it already. Stop saying what you are going to do and do it!" Yuki screamed back. His charka was staring to flame along with hers.

Charging at him, she swung down her sword, only managing to get the blade caught by the hands of her father.

"You're weak," Yuki said, flipping her over his back, the sword still in his hand.

Koei let go of the sword as soon as she was slammed into the ground. A wave of pain rushed over her back as she tried to stand up, but failed.

"You're dead," Yuki said, silently to himself as he turned around. He stared down at her body and then slammed the sword down, right through her middle.

Screaming in pain, she gripped the ground around her, trying to suppress it. Blood was being forced up her throat and out of her mouth. Eyes wide she looked up at her father scared, more scared than she had ever been in her life. Death was flashing before her eyes.

"So this isn't a trick then," Yuki asked leaching sown, close to her face. A new smile was on it. "Then you are dying, right here? Without your revenge? Pathetic…"

"KOEI!" Naruto and Sakura screamed in unison. Their comrade was going to die right before their eyes if they didn't do anything about it.

Sasuke flinched as more blood came coughing out of her mouth. SH was just the same as him. Trying to seek revenge against a family member for deaths of the people most important to them. She was trying to get her revenge. And now right before her eyes it was crumbling.

Sasuke jumped away from where he was standing and came charging at Yuki. A second later he was slammed into a tree, blood coming from his own mouth as well.

"Don't interfere, she's going to die wither you like it or not!" Yuki screamed at him.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed, her hands pressed to her face.

Naruto frowned as his hands tensed. Everyone was starting to go from bad to worse. One person was dying right before his eyes, and another was hurt. He had to do something.

"Stay right there Naruto!" Kakashi screamed, holding his hand out in front of him. "Don't move or he'll kill you!"

"I don't care! What about Koei? She's dying!" Naruto screamed back, making another attempt to press forward. But was again stopped by Kakashi. "MOVE, NOW!"

"Will you just shut-up for a minute!" Kakashi yelled.

"I won't let you kill her!" Sasuke spat at Yuki, he was still being pressed up against the tree. "I'm not going to let her die because of you!"

"You're pretty pathetic yourself, for being of the Uchiha clan," Yuki replied, glaring at him. "There's nothing you can do to stop me… Nothing at all… You're going to die here, now-…"

His eyes bulged just as he was cut off. Spitting blood all over Sasuke shirt, he finally let go of him and slide down. He came to a top at Sasuke's feet. Blood poured out of his mouth, nonstop. He was bleeding from the inside.

Koei stood over him, the sword that was in her stomach now in her ands and twisting around in Yuki's back.

"Just die demon! Just die!" Koei screamed, giving the sword another sharp push as it finally broke through to the other side. Collapsing to her knees along with her father she begun to lose more blood, both through her mouth and the gaping wound in her stomach. Her black kimono was stained and oozing with blood.

"Yo… You… No…" Yuki said coughing. He fell down on his stomach. Eyes as wide as they could manage to go. "You've finally… Got your r-revenge I… See…"

"Good-bye gather," Koei muttered, falling on her back a few inches away from him. "just die already so you don't have to suffer anymore."

Sasuke got up and looked at the dead body before him. Yuki had finally died, in a pool of his own blood. Koei was a few inches away gasping for breath.

"Koei?" Sasuke asked, sitting down beside her body. "Just calm down, you're losing a lot of blood and you might be going into shock. You have to maintain your breathing Koei… Or else you're going to die…"

"I died with my mother a long time ago," Koei whispered as he opened her robe and pulled her shirt up off of her wound. "There isn't a point in saving me now… Not when you all know I'm going to die… Sasuke? Thank you… Thank you listening to me… Good luck with your revenge… Tell… Tell Naruto that if he doesn't become Hokage then I'll haunt him forever with my spirit…"

"Just shut-up! You're not going to die!" Sasuke growled towards her as he tried to stop the blood flow. "You're going to live dammit! I'm not going to let you die!"

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered as she walked over to the two of them, Naruto and Kakashi at her side. Bending down slowly she put her hands over his and pulled them away. "Sasuke… She's already dead…"

"No…" Sasuke moaned down at her body in horror.

Koei's eyes were closed and her mouth was open slightly. Her breathing had stopped and she was starting to grow cold.

Getting up slowly he stumbled away from her body and crashed into a nearby tree. Holding onto it with one of his hands as if for dear life he screamed in pan and anguish. A second latter he was puking.

Naruto stared down at the body bellow him sadly… Why did this happen to her? Why did this have to happen?

You could still hear Sasuke's screams of agony.

Sasuke looked down at the grave below him. A huge, out of bloom cherry tree soared above him. Kakashi and his two other teammates stood at his side as the Hokage spoke to them and a few others that had come to her funeral.

As soon as everyone finished saying their words they left, Sasuke was the only one left standing there. Alone.

Staring down at her grave he opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. The words just wouldn't come to mind. He didn't know what to say to her now…

Slowly snow begun to fall. Frowning, he looked up at the sky. It was just now the second day of winter… Why was it snowing this soon into the season?

Giving the grave another glance the words finally came to his mind.

"I will forever remain the frozen snow, in order to save the memory that we shared together," Sasuke whispered, his face emotionless.

Turning his back to the tree and grave he begun to walk away.


End file.
